By Navy Office of Community Outreach
Public Affairs
NORFOLK – A 2014
James River High School graduate and Richmond, Virginia native is
serving in the U.S. Navy with Naval Beach Group TWO (NBG 2).
Petty Officer
3rd Class Alex Robbins is a utilitiesman with the beach group operating out of
Virginia Beach, Virginia.
A Navy utilityman
is responsible for plumbing and air conditioning.
“I like that my
job is in construction,” said Robbins. “I like being able to problem solve and
work with my hands every day.”
Commissioned in
1948, NBG 2 is designed to organize, man, train and equip
forces to execute, combat support, and combat service support missions.
NBG 2 is made of
four commands, Assault Craft Unit TWO (ACU 2), Assault Craft Unit FOUR (ACU 4),
Amphibious Construction Battalion TWO (PHIBCB 2), and Beach Master Unit TWO
(BMU 2); who have their own individual missions that assist to ensure the
overall mission of NBG 2 is complete.
Robbins
serves with PHIBCB 2 who regularly embark aboard the ships of amphibious ready
groups (ARGs) deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, Adriatic Sea,
and throughout the Atlantic area from the coasts of Norway to South America to
include the Caribbean Sea. Since the Millennium, Naval Beach Group detachments
have supported routine exercises and ARG deployments.
“I like serving
in a command that gives me the opportunity to be close to home,” said Robbins
Approximately 30
officers and 300 enlisted men and women make up the beach group. Their jobs are
highly specialized and keep each part of the command running smoothly. The jobs
range from operating boats to maintaining engines and handling weaponry.
"The Sailors here never cease to impress me with
the effort they put into their daily work," said Capt. Jeffrey Hayhurst,
commodore commander of NBG 2.”Their dedication and hard work make me proud to
be in command of Naval Beach Group Two."
Although NBG 2
is made up of four separate commands, they all work together to complete their
mission of providing the Navy personnel and equipment to support an
amphibious operation or exercise.
These exercises can include evacuation of American citizens
from a hostile territory, delivery of food and medical supplies after a natural
disaster, the bulk delivery of fuel or fresh water from a ship anchored off the
coast through a pipeline to a shore facility, and nearly any other task that
involves moving from ships offshore to the beach.
“Since joining
the Navy I have become more skilled with plumbing,” said Robbins. “I have also
gained more responsibility and leadership skills.”
As a member of
the one of the U.S. Navy’s most unique commands, Robbins and other NBG 2
Sailors understand that they need to have the ability to complete a variety of
missions to help keep America safe from enemies foreign and domestic.